The Wall Street Journal published an article on the great, Chinese artist

The Wall Street Journal
published an article on the great, Chinese artist Liu Bolin. Chinese art is becoming quite the investment!

Mr. Liu, 38 years old, grew up along the Yellow River in Shandong province, drawing in his school notebooks while his parents worked in flood control. He created his first hidden photo in 2005, posing against a wall of his artist’s village, which the government had plans to demolish.

To create many of his works, he poses for a preliminary photo to figure out his position against the backdrop. He’s dressed in Chinese army fatigues with gel on his skin to protect him from the paint. His assistants then render the scene on top of him, so he fits into the picture like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle.

“My work is for me to stand still there,” Mr. Liu said in an email translated by the gallery. Later, he added: “In those moments, I feel like I am fighting against my nature, fighting with life, and I have to stand in stillness for my faith and ideals.”

These days, it’s getting tougher for Mr. Liu to hide. Last month, he was the fourth most searched among contemporary and modern artists on the site Artnet, beating Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons. (The American photographer Sally Mann came in first.) Next week, Mr. Liu will draw attention in New York, where he’s creating portraits at sites that include a magazine rack, a Kenny Scharf graffiti mural on Houston Street and a spot at ground zero.

Liu Bolin makes a camouflaged appearance in his ‘Dragon Series’ photos.